While the needs of an infant broadly concern warmth, sleep, food and hygiene, caring for an infant is a formidable task. As a result, infant care providers often seek products and methods which make caring for an infant's needs easier for the care provider as well as more beneficial for the infant. Numerous baby products, such as baby cribs, baby bottles, food utensils, strollers and the like have made infant care simpler and more enjoyable for the care provider.
In the area of infant hygiene, disposable diapers have dominated the market place although it is still known to use washable, reusable cloth diapers. However, regardless of the choice between disposable and reusable diapers, problems continue in providing a sanitary surface on which the infant may be laid during the changing procedure.
Often, where appropriate, the care provider changes the infant's soiled diaper on a bed, in a crib or on a changing table. Sometimes, a changing sheet, towel or the like may be placed on the changing surface in order to provide a more sanitarily controlled condition for the infant. Such covering may also be more protective of the infant's skin and provide an insulating layer between infant and a cold surface.
Accordingly, it is known to provide infant changing pads that include a relatively thick, resilient cushion that may optionally be enclosed in some sort of a cover or casing. An example of one such infant changing pad is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 338,110 issued Aug. 10, 1993 to Peay. A foldable infant support cushion adapted for changing an infants diapers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,487 issued Oct. 3, 2000 to Ive. In each of these patents, a trough shaped upper surface is provided whereon the infant may be laid.